


bravery as a prerequisite to captaincy

by wartransmission



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, Pirate!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-09
Updated: 2014-02-09
Packaged: 2018-01-11 17:51:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1176063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wartransmission/pseuds/wartransmission
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Makoto is far too nice to be an actual captain of any pirate ship, and Rin wants to know just who it was who appointed Makoto that title in the first place.</p><p>Haru's fine with anything, so long as he gets to swim to his heart's content and Makoto doesn't get hurt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	bravery as a prerequisite to captaincy

"Alright. Let's try this again." Rin sighs, a hand sliding down from his forehead to cover his mouth as he squints at Makoto. "Tell me just _who_ the hell decided on you being the captain of this fucking ship."

 

"It was me, Rin-chan!" Nagisa answers with a cheeky grin as he waves a hand wildly around to get Rin's attention. Makoto tries and fails to hide his surprise when Nagisa pops up beside him, a little shout escaping his lips as he staggers back with a hand pressed to his chest. "Come _on_ , Mako-chan! Aren't you used to people coming up from behind you? That weak personality is why Rin-chan won't stop complaining about you being captain!" Nagisa scolds just as soon as Makoto manages to get his wits together.

 

"I didn't exactly volunteer for this position, you know," Makoto says with a wry smile. "But I'm doing what I can, Rin," he says as he turns to Rin, who raises an eyebrow in response. "Alright, I may not be as brave as you or Haru," Makoto admits with a sigh, "but I'm trying what I can to be a good leader too. It wasn't like I expected I'd be living the life of a pirate since I was roped into this."

 

"What, you're complaining now?" Rin narrows his eyes at Makoto, folding his arms on his chest as he taps one foot on the wooden floor. "It's been three years since we started sailing, Tachibana."

 

"I know that!" Makoto whines, before gently shooing Nagisa away from the wheel as he takes back his place as temporary navigator. Nagisa laughs at being gently pushed away and immediately skips off to find Rei, who left his station to take a small food break in the crew's quarters. It's why Makoto is taking his place as navigator, if only for a moment, because Haru can't be trusted to keep them on track and Rin had only gotten back from checking on the loot they'd taken from the ship they'd passed hours ago. "I'm just still really confused about why we're doing this, when we could be doing legal things," Makoto says.

 

"Are you serious," Rin deadpans, his feet falling heavily on the floor as he steps up to the poop deck with Makoto. "Makoto, we can barely even steal anything because you keep giving something back. We're practically just bartering at this point! There isn't even much piracy with how you always make nice with the ships we pass!"

 

"I just thought it'd be best if we parted ways peacefully!" Makoto retorts, his mouth turned down into a frown as he slowly navigates his ship a little ways past what looked to be a deserted island. "Besides, wouldn't this also be good for us? We made allies along the way in case we ever get in trouble with the authorities."

 

"You completely lost the point of piracy, Tachibana," Rin grumbles.

 

"So long as we're doing fine, then it should be okay. Stop complaining, Rin," Haru's voice interrupts before Makoto can respond. Makoto smiles at seeing Haru back from the crew's quarters, relieved to know that he hadn't jumped overboard to get a swim in. Rin frowns in annoyance at having his little argument with Makoto interrupted, though he doesn't say anything in complaint. It would be childish to try and argue with Haru, considering how obstinate he is when it comes to Makoto's wishes. He'd been indifferent to most things when they began sailing, the only reason he'd come along in the first place being because Rin had pushed him into it, though he had changed a lot ever since that one incident they had with a none too friendly ship of fellow pirates.

 

Rin didn't think, not even for a single second of his life, that he'd ever see Haru become angry at anything.

 

"Are you okay, Rin?" Makoto asks, instantly breaking Rin out of his contemplative state. He's smiling again, though it's the worried kind of smile this time. Rin 'tsk's to himself in annoyance; he didn't like seeing that smile on Makoto's face, more so when it's turned to him.

 

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rin says with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I was just thinking that it's a good thing that Haru didn't jump off ship again while he was away." Rin grins; Haru frowns in response. "He might have been left behind if he tried."

 

"What are you trying to say?" Haru asks, lips drawn in a firm line as he glares in irritation at Rin. That annoyance doesn't stop him from stepping onto the poop deck, his need to stand by Makoto's side apparently far stronger than anything else. Still, Rin isn't surprised, seeing as he can understand why Haru would find it a necessity to stay so close by. Makoto isn't very skilled when it comes to protecting himself, as compared to when he's protecting everyone else.

 

"You're not that fast a swimmer anymore, obviously," Rin says with a smirk.

 

"It's not like you are either," Haru says, having gotten his calm back as he turns his head away from Rin. "I've been swimming more than you in the past few days."

 

"Haru, don't be like that," Makoto scolds gently, frowning as he keeps a loose hold on the wheel.

 

"See? Even Makoto thinks that you're being unreasonable, Haru. You know it, right? Even though you've been swimming more than me, I'm still stronger in every way," Rin says with a raised brow and a smirk.

 

"That's not what I meant," Makoto says with an exasperated sigh. "Rin, please don't start a fight," he pleads. Rin feels the tiniest bit guilty, if only because Makoto is giving him his puppy dog eyes, though he turns his gaze away from him to Haru before it can shake him. It's no wonder that a lot of the pirates they encounter don't put up a fight- their captain is not only intimidatingly huge, he's a gentle giant to boot. It's hard not to give in to his wishes, even more so when he's only ever being reasonable with everything.

 

(Unless it's about Haru. Of course, for absolutely ridiculous reasons, Haru is the exception to the rule. Makoto would revert to childishness just because he wanted to dry Haru's hair, though Rin hadn't intended to see that sort of thing when he came down to the captain's cabin.)

 

"Let's swim, then," Haru says, a determined look on his face as he whips off his hat and sends it sliding down onto the poop deck.

 

"Yeah? Bring it on, Nanase," Rin says as he grins in challenge, taking off his own hat to throw it on the floor along with Haru's.

 

"Calm down, you two," Makoto tries to scold, though his pleas go unheard when Haru and Rin start to strip off their jackets. "At least until wait we've set ashore!" He says with a louder voice this time, his grip tightening on the wheel as he tries to get both of his friends' attention.

 

"Ah, Rin-chan and Haru-chan are fighting again?" Nagisa says with a sigh from Makoto's side, his sudden appearance beside the wheel making Makoto scream in surprise. Both Haru and Rin turn to him just as Nagisa, whose elbows are resting on the wheel, accidentally turns the wheel over to the left. The ship swerves to the left and Makoto teeters from his place, along with Rin and Haru as they send bewildered looks Nagisa's way. Makoto lets out a grunt of surprise when the ship comes to a sudden halt, the sound having been elicited when the helm's edges dug into his stomach as he staggered forward. He coughs when he finally manages to push himself away, his grip on the helm tight as he keeps his head lowered.

 

"Mako-chan, are you okay? I'm so sorry!" Nagisa says, his expression fraught as he grips onto Makoto's sleeve. "I swear I'll never surprise you again, so please don't hate me! Are you okay? Should I call Rei-chan?"

 

"I'm really fine," Makoto breathes out once he gets a hold of himself, an unconvincing smile on his face as he pats Nagisa's hand. "There's no need for that, Nagisa. And I know you didn't mean to surprise me."

 

"Mako-chan," Nagisa whispers, his eyebrows drawn up in worry as he looks up at him. Makoto offers a confused smile when Nagisa doesn't say much more than that, though he doesn't ask for the meaning to Nagisa's expression and sudden silence.

 

"Makoto," Haru immediately calls, his expression a worried one as he jogs over to him, Rin in tow. His hand automatically reaches out to grip Makoto's arm once he's close enough, before he uses it to pull Makoto away from the helm to get a proper look at him. "Makoto, are you alright?"

 

"I'm," Makoto winces, a hand coming up to gently cover his most likely bruised stomach, "I'm okay. It's nothing big, Haru."

 

"You're hurt," Haru says, his gaze immediately turning to the portion of Makoto's stomach that he's covering. "We need to take you to Rei so he can check on you."

 

"It's really fine, Haru," Makoto assures him with a smile. "I'm sure it didn't affect any internal organs," he says with a little laugh. His smile falters when Haru sends a glare his way, though he manages to get it back again when Rei comes up to the poop deck with a flustered expression.

 

"Check on him," Haru orders as soon as he notices Rei, who blinks wide and confused eyes in turn. "He hit himself on the helm when the ship stopped."

 

"Of course!" Rei quickly acquiesces, before sending a smile Makoto's way as Haru moves to the side to give Rei room. "Could you raise your undershirt, Makoto-san?"

 

"Alright." Makoto sighs, a weary and affectionate smile on his face as he raises his undershirt as ordered, baring his stomach to Rei who kneels down to observe the forming bruise on his skin. "Sorry about being a bother, Rei," Makoto apologizes, hiding a wince when Rei presses a little too hard on the bruise.

 

"Really, Mako-chan, you shouldn't apologize when I was the one at fault!" Nagisa says. He smiles sheepishly when Haru sends a little glare his way. "And I know, Haru-chan. I won't do it again, I promise!"

 

"Nn," Haru grunts in acceptance. He gives Rei an expectant look when he stands up, and Rei smiles in assurance.

 

"It's fine, Haruka-san," Rei says, stepping away as Makoto tugs his undershirt back down. "It's merely a bruise that will heal after a week's time."

 

"See? You had nothing to worry about, Haru," Makoto says with an amused smile, to which Haru huffs and turns his head away. "In any case," Makoto says, turning his gaze to Rin who's looking at him with an exasperated sort of affection meant for a puppy that’s made a fool out of itself, to which Makoto smiles sheepishly in turn, "we should probably anchor our ship in for now. What do you think, Rin?"

 

"Yeah, sure," Rin agrees with a shrug. "I'll take care of it." He holds a hand up to stop Makoto from offering his help, and he says, "You guys just go on ahead and get us some supplies. There are trees on the island," he pauses to gesture lazily to the sandy shore leading up to the land littered with palm trees, "so it's likely that there's food we can eat from there."

 

"That's true," Makoto agrees with a nod, one arm folded over his chest with his other arm propped up so he can rub at his chin in thought. "Are you sure you'll be fine alone, Rin? Rei could help you out," Makoto offers with a smile.

 

"No, I'm seriously fine," Rin says while waving a hand in dismissal at the idea. "Besides, you'd need to take Rei so you'll know which fruits are safe."

 

"That's also true, isn't it, Mako-chan?" Nagisa says, smiling when Rei smiles proudly at the indirect compliment from Rin, all while flushing a light pink. "Aw, is Rei-chan not used to being complimented by Rin-chan? That's cute," Nagisa coos. He laughs when Rei sputters in embarrassment at the very notion.

 

"I just said that you should bring him along because he knows his stuff," Rin says with a raised brow. "Is that something to get happy over?"

 

"O-of course not, Rin-san!" Rei retorts, trying his hardest to ignore Nagisa's laughter, though that's a lost cause when Nagisa maintains his proximity to him. He continues on, "You merely said that you were aware of my knowledge when it comes to poisonous fruits and the like, which is something valuable in our case seeing as we're pirates. You were only stating facts, isn't that right?"

 

"Yeah, yeah," Rin says with an amused smile. "Still, you were flustered over something so small. That's a bit suspicious, isn't it?"

 

"I wasn't!" Rei exclaims instantly. Makoto laughs at the instantaneous denial on Rei's part along with Nagisa. "Please stop laughing, Makoto-san, Nagisa-kun!"

 

"Sorry, sorry," Makoto says, still giggling a bit as he wipes at the corners of his eyes. "Let's go, then?" He asks once he calms down, smiling at Haru and the others as he straightens out the hat on his head. "It'll be best to start now before the sun sets."

 

"Right, Mako-chan!" Nagisa agrees, before looping an arm around Rei's elbow and tugging him down to the main deck. "Let's go!"

 

"Please don't run around carelessly, Nagisa-kun!" Rei yells after him, far too easily caught in Nagisa's whims as they head down to lower the ramp.

 

Rin raises an eyebrow at the sight of them all too happily lowering the ramp. "Those two get along well, weirdly enough," he comments, keeping an eye on them as they kick off their shoes to leave them on the ship, before bounding down the ramp to the sandy shore. It doesn't take that long before they're out of sight, considering Nagisa's speed when it comes to exploring new places and Rei's capacity to catch up quickly.

 

"They do, don't they? It's nice," Makoto says, smiling as he takes his time to head down to the main deck. "Call us if you need help, alright Rin?" Makoto says just as he and Haru reach the ramp, to which Rin replies with a thumbs-up in affirmative.

 

"I'm strong enough to handle this, but yeah, whatever," Rin yells from the ship just as Makoto and Haru reach the end of the ramp. Makoto laughs in amusement at Rin's confidence with his own strength, though he does so in a good-natured way. He does know rather well how strong Rin can be when he pushes himself hard enough.

 

"It's nice that Rin's so confident in himself, but it's bad if he gets too proud, isn't it?" Makoto says, speaking aloud Haru's thoughts as they start to take off their boots.

 

"Aa," Haru says in agreement just as he ties the laces of his shoes together, before hanging them over his shoulder. Makoto finishes a few seconds after Haru, his boots swiftly swung over his shoulder as he stands, and he smiles once he notices that Haru has waited for him. "Let's go make sure that Nagisa and Rei are alright, ne? We can swim once we're done collecting supplies."

 

He stifles a laugh when he turns to Haru only to be met by his sparkling blue-eyed gaze. Haru nods in acquiescence to Makoto's words, only barely managing to keep his urge to swim in, though he doesn't complain about Makoto's suggestion to swim later.

 

It won't be long before they finish gathering supplies, if only because of Haru's selectively perseverant nature.

 

 

=================

 

 

"You're done already, Haru?"

 

"Nn," Haru grunts in affirmative, before wading his way to Makoto's side on the shore. Rin is still teaching Rei how to properly swim a little ways away, with Nagisa checking on them once in a while with encouraging words as he swims in the water around them. It's a rare peaceful scene in Makoto's current life, which is why he feels relaxed despite how they're in the open water. It's an odd thing, his fear of the ocean, considering how he's lived as a pirate of sorts for three years already. Then again, he's always been a little in denial whenever he's on his ship, isn't he?

 

"I'm glad that we found a safe island, this time," Makoto muses as he stretches out his legs from their folded up position. "Last time had snakes and big spiders, didn't it?"

 

Haru hums absently in answer. Makoto smiles at him, before turning his gaze out to the slowly setting sun. It's a good thing they'd headed west this time; had they not, they wouldn't have been able to see such a beautiful sight. It's already a rare thing for Makoto to feel completely comfortable in the water, but it always helps whenever his surroundings are beautiful enough to distract him from his childish worries.

 

"Are you still scared of the water?" Haru asks without preamble.

 

Makoto looks away from the sunset to look at Haru, blinking twice in a beat as he frowns slightly. He hadn't thought that Haru would ask that sort of thing again when they'd already spent three years of their lives sailing. (Then again, he's still a bit scared, isn't he?)

 

"Only a little, now," he admits as he smiles softly at Haru. He turns his gaze away from Haru and to the water lapping at his feet, and says, "I'm still scared of the possibilities, that maybe we might drown one day while we're sailing, and I'll never be as comfortable as you or Rin or anyone else in the water." He takes in a deep breath, before letting out a slow exhale. "But," he says, letting his voice trail away as he folds his legs in front of him, both of his hands reaching behind him so he can prop himself up. He turns his head enough so that he can see Haru, and Haru can see his relaxed smile. "I think I'm doing fine. I have Haru and the others, after all."

 

Haru takes a long look at him then, trying to find the lie in his words, and blinks when he realizes that Makoto only spoke the truth. "Good," Haru says out loud. He pulls up his own legs to fold them in front of him, before leaning forward with both of his elbows on his thighs. His smile is small when he sends it Makoto's way, almost unnoticeable, but Makoto notices it, if only because he knows the nuances of all of Haru’s expressions.

 

For a moment, Makoto thinks he wouldn't mind travelling the world like this, if it meant that he'd be able to stay by Haru's side forever. So long as he had the chance to see these parts of Haru, his little smiles and laughs, Makoto is sure he can live with sailing his way around the world despite his fear of the ocean. He loves Haru a lot, after all, and if sailing across the ocean and back meant that Haru would be happy, then Makoto could be happy with that.

 

(Haru loves him just as much, though Haru would only ever say that in his kisses and his worried frowns instead of his words.)

**Author's Note:**

> This is another entry to the MakoHaru fest, this time for the prompt "deserted island"! I hope you guys liked it! If you did, I'd really appreciate it if you reblogged or liked the entry on tumblr, which I will add a link to later once it's up. Again, thank you very much for your support!
> 
> [Here's the link to the entry!](http://makoharufestival.tumblr.com/post/76206753089/challenge-deserted-island-user-jadedgalvanizer)


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